The Self-Serving Hustle of “Hillbilly Elegy” by R. Mike Burr

I’ve had multiple people asking my thoughts on Hillbilly Elegy. Between the article below by R. Mike Burr which I have reblogged here, and another article by Ivy Brashear titled “Why Media Must Stop Misrepresenting Appalachia” there is not much for me to add. They have thoroughly iterated my sentiments about the book and it’s faux hillbilly author, J.D. Vance.

The danger that I see is that Hillbilly Elegy has garnered too much publicity for a remarkably shallow insight into Appalachia’s issues. Not only do I blame the media and public at large for taking this book to heart, I blame Vance for taking on the role of “explainer-in-chief of Appalachian issues.”

Sadly, the literature that does explore the depths of corruption and economic exploitation in the region, problems that have created the intense poverty and all the symptoms you would expect of it, seldom receive the level of media attention necessary to educate the public. If one wants to understand what has happened in Appalachia so as to begin a dialogue about a just transition I would suggest…

As one of a smallish group of liberal Appalachian ex-pats, I have always considered myself an ambassador for my place of birth. I have tried to respond graciously to less than good-natured jokes about familial relations and general backwardness in the Appalachian region, and highlight the pride I still take in the work ethic and common decency of my family and community.

Lately, every inquiry has been framed around J.D. Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy: whether I have read it or whether conditions for “my people” are as dire as described in the book. Vance’s memoir might have eventually faded from relevance, as there is little glamour to be found in the cored and denuded hills of the region. Then desperate Appalachians came in out droves to back Donald Trump’s improbable run to the White House.

While it is debatable what profit the Appalachian will reap from a Trump presidency, Vance…